[Motormania]

Dhiraj,


Nice choice for the jacket. I personally found the Eclipse to be extremely heavy and hot to use. (Hyderabad weather as reference) Still came away impressed with the thought gone behind this product and versatility.

Would suggest you to get a proper Level 2 back protector insert. These foam pads are hardly of any use.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by Motormania

I personally found the Eclipse to be extremely heavy and hot to use.

You are right to an extent. However, any proper Riding Jacket worth its salt, and with proper Armour in place, cannot be super-light. The original Harley Jackets are even heavier. But with the 2 layers removed, as I mentioned, the weight is very manageable.

Same goes for the heat. Imagine using ANY jacket in 46 degrees heat that's going on here in North India, let alone a riding jacket. Gosh! But the lower mesh area becomes completely breathable once on the move.

I forgot to mention there are 4 zippers at vantage locations besides the mesh area to aid air flow. Also there's an inside waterproof pocket for your mobile/mp3 besides 2 waterproof pockets outside in both the mesh and cordura layers. The Thermolite layer has an additional internal pocket. The collar area has soft felt material. The zipper has an inside sleeve to prevent water seepage. There's an inside zipper attachment to hook up with compatible riding pants. The attention to detail is indeed amazing. Also I don't think that this jacket is Made in India as it says that the same has been imported by Cramster on all the labels.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Not sure if you are still here, I usually buy from RidersDiscount or Revzilla. I also have some local shops I pick up stuff from. If you know what you want I can talk to the shop for some small discounts. PM me where you are in States, if you in LA are I can take you the shops around

Thank you so much for the offer. I'm in Boston. Will be heading to the waterfront area this weekend. Will also be visiting the wrentham outlet mall next week. Not sure if there are any gear shops around. I checked with a local guy who rides to work quite regularly (even let me have a go on his race prepped r6)

He mostly orders online. This (Boston) is not really 2 wheeler country. The very mention of bikes makes most people uncomfortable n they usually have something to say about the "reckless riders" n how they are "all the same"

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Thank you so much for the offer. I'm in Boston. Will be heading to the waterfront area this weekend. Will also be visiting the wrentham outlet mall next week. Not sure if there are any gear shops around. I checked with a local guy who rides to work quite regularly (even let me have a go on his race prepped r6)

He mostly orders online. This (Boston) is not really 2 wheeler country. The very mention of bikes makes most people uncomfortable n they usually have something to say about the "reckless riders" n how they are "all the same"

Yes thats true there are hardly any or no shops for motorcycle gear that part of the country. Hopefully you got your gear from online deals.

[Jupiter-<3-Cars]

Hi everyone,

This is my first proper post on Team-BHP!

I am planning on buying full riding gear soon. I live in Goa, and commute on the bike often. I do not have the budget to buy separate summer/monsoon gear so I would need a jacket that is for heavy Goa monsoons and for the summer (peaking at 35 deg in May, and generally doesn't get cooler than 30 deg. Very humid). Winter is a non-issue due to our cool 20-25 deg winters.

After looking around, I am set on the following gear:

Jacket: Spartan Helios or Hyperion (Rs 5500 / 7500), with a SAS-Tec protector (Rs 2500), and a chest protector (do not know what yet). I chose this because Let's Gear Up has all of this stuff and seems to be a good place to order from.

Gloves: Haven't decided. One of the SPG offerings maybe, but I need something waterproof yet breathable, or a normal summer glove and a separate waterproof over glove. (Budget: Rs 2000-3000 max)

Helmet: SOL SF1 (Rs 5000) or SOL 68II (Rs 4600)

Pants: I want either jeans with armour (don't know where to find these in India) or over pants that I can wear over my normal jeans/trousers or shorts. Any recommendations about extra armour are welcome too. The DSG Nero seem like good riding pants but they cannot be worn over other pants and are pretty expensive (Rs 5800).. I would like to buy something in the Rs 3000-4000 range.

I have chosen these because looking at online retailers in the US, the shipping charges are quite high and I cannot seem to find good deals. Any recommendations (US/India) are welcome as long as they fit in to my budget (Jacket 8k max, gloves 3k max, pants 4k max, helmet 5k max. Total 20k -- maybe stretchable if something is really worth buying!). Also, if any of you have experience riding with the gear I mentioned, please do tell me!

My riding is up to 1200-1300km a month, mostly max of 10km at a stretch, but occasionally with 40 km stretches once or twice a week. I would like to be able to ride with my gear without any additional rain gear other than the inners provided. (i.e. 1 hour of moderate rain should be ride-able). I hate wearing plain plastic raincoats that stick to your skin ! :P

Thanks a lot
Jupiter

[Shubz]

Has anyone seen/tried/used this riding boots listed below?

http://www.ydsshop.com/?urun-113-DIABLO-7-2-GTX.html

Seems like a Turkish portal and no other sites list this! In the pics and whatever I could comprehend - seems like a class riding boot!

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Shubz

Has anyone seen/tried/used this riding boots listed below?

http://www.ydsshop.com/?urun-113-DIABLO-7-2-GTX.html

Why bother with unknown brands when you have boots such as Forma or even Astars in India for similar or lesser money?

Unless they are super cheap (like the Bilt boots I posted a few pages back; all sold out now btw) I dont know what benefit I have considering these over well known & established brands.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by Jupiter-<3-Cars

I am planning on buying full riding gear soon.

Pants: I want either jeans with armour (don't know where to find these in India) or over pants that I can wear over my normal jeans/trousers or shorts. Any recommendations about extra armour are welcome too. The DSG Nero seem like good riding pants but they cannot be worn over other pants and are pretty expensive (Rs 5800).. I would like to buy something in the Rs 3000-4000 range.

Your choices on the jacket and gloves are pretty much spot on.

For armored jeans you can check out the Dainese store in Blore. I know you live in Goa but if you do plan to visit blore, pay a visit to that store. It is located in Brigade Orion Mall and they have a good collection of riding gear. The price however is way above your expectation of 3-4k.

You can also check out Draggin jeans (online) which have built in armor in them but again they cost close to 10k IIRC.

[the VTEC guy]

Guys anybody has experience with the Cramster "BREEZER 4.0 - 3 in 1 Mesh Riding Jacket For MEN" jacket? Last week I checked out the Spartan Helios. Somehow it didn't quit click me. Jacket fit was good.Quality also seemed good. I felt the mesh on the jacket was too coarse(bigger holes). I would prefer a tightly woven mesh.

[Shubz]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Why bother with unknown brands when you have boots such as Forma or even Astars in India for similar or lesser money?

Unless they are super cheap (like the Bilt boots I posted a few pages back; all sold out now btw) I dont know what benefit I have considering these over well known & established brands.

Well said! And to counter that I'd say "Why not?" While I agree there are international brands already available in the market, new products are always welcome, if they are available at competitive prices, are of good quality.

I am sure you'd agree, there are a lot of fakes floating in the market in the name of "Well known/Established" brands.

Having said that I am not going to break my head going after the things that are unreachable!

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Shubz

Well said! And to counter that I'd say "Why not?" While I agree there are international brands already available in the market, new products are always welcome, if they are available at competitive prices, are of good quality.

I am sure you'd agree, there are a lot of fakes floating in the market in the name of "Well known/Established" brands.

Oh I am with you on the newer products piece but the caveat is competitive prices. And this immediately translates for me as significantly lower than the established brands.

They can and probably will charge more once they have people's confidence but that carrot is definitely needed for me to even consider them. Going back to the Bilt example - if they turned out to be crap; I would at worst lose Rs 3000. Less actually coz I could post it on Ebay or something and get most of my money back. Heck; I might have even made a profit

Simple question - What would you buy? The short boot from Turkey which is around 12k INR I think (how do they even reach you? You actually know someone in Turkey? ) or an Alpinestars SMX 1 for 11k (planet DSG. Check it out)

Most of this stuff looks good on websites or brochures. It does not automatically get entitled to adjectives like "Solid" or "High quality". As you of course know riding gear is much much beyond "the look" alone. Short of using it yourself, you would never know the functionality unless you at least read a dozen + user reviews (not magazines. Who knows what their agenda is)

In the absence of user reviews; I would not want to be the guniea pig for sure. Also agree on the many fakes in the market. But I think if you buy from a reputable reseller (like DSG) you should have the authenticity factor well covered.

[theredliner]

Originally Posted by Jupiter-<3-Cars

Hi everyone,

Pants: I want either jeans with armour (don't know where to find these in India) or over pants that I can wear over my normal jeans/trousers or shorts.

Did you look at Spartan Adonis?
http://spartanprogear.com/Details.as...=0&cat=0&typ=7

[the VTEC guy]

Got my first proper riding boot - Alpinestars SMX 6. Until now used to wear ankle length Woodlands. These worked great on the RE as the toe was not used for shifting gears. On Duke these Woodlands due to large profile and thick sole were a bit obstructive while toe shifting.
Not yet used the A-Star for a ride hence no detailed review. Will do so soon. Went to the Planet DSG store and bought it there after trying out. Got the non vented version. The owner told me he is coming up with stores in Mumbai and Delhi soon. Cost me 16k INR.
There is addition of new mid height boots SMX 3 which were also tempting.But cost difference was just 1k and SMX 6 offered full protection. These SMX 3 are slightly bigger than the SMX 1 , 1.1 , 2.

[Rocky_Balboa]

Got the Spartan Helios today from LetsGearUp, as a replacement for my leather jacket (not rider jacket but a winter one) and no more cooking in the b2b traffic.

The XL sized jacket is a snug-fit and the armors are in their places; yet to check how it feels in b2b traffic with the laptop backpack.

[kingofmyworld]

Originally Posted by the VTEC guy

Guys anybody has experience with the Cramster "BREEZER 4.0 - 3 in 1 Mesh Riding Jacket For MEN" jacket? Last week I checked out the Spartan Helios. Somehow it didn't quit click me. Jacket fit was good.Quality also seemed good. I felt the mesh on the jacket was too coarse(bigger holes). I would prefer a tightly woven mesh.

Used one for 3 years. Not a stitch failed. During summers it works wonders! but I had issues with it during winter. It doesnt really keep you warm even with the liner zipped in. The mesh on this jacket also has bigger holes.